Rams receiver Brandin Cooks leaves the field after an injury flanked by Coach Sean McVay, left, and quarterback Jared Goff, right. Cooks sustained a concussion on a hard hit during the second quarter of Sunday’s 33-31 victory at Seattle. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund)

For a month, it looked like an artistic performance, seamless and smooth, executed just as it had been rehearsed. Then, during one intermission, the Rams’ offense turned to improvisation.

Concussions to receivers Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp forced the Rams out of their comfort zone and forced them to turn to two replacements who entered the game with a total of 11 NFL receptions. Sunday’s victory over Seattle might have been Coach Sean McVay’s greatest, and least intention, masterpiece.

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The Rams played half the game without two of their top three receivers, but still managed 16 of their 33 points and 215 of their 468 yards. On a cold, drizzly afternoon in which Todd Gurley had little running room, the Rams still moved the ball in what turned out to be an unlikely shootout with the Seahawks.

“That’s why I say we have the best offense, the best coach, the best line, quarterback, running back, whatever,” Gurley said. “You name it, tight end. Because we’re just all together. We all practice together, we all know the plays, we all do the same stuff, so when one man goes down, another man steps up.”

Now the question turns to this week’s game at Denver, and the status of Cooks and Kupp. Both players sustained concussions during the second quarter of Sunday’s game.

McVay said the receivers were symptom-free quickly after the game, but Cooks and Kupp must remain in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Their availability for Sunday is not yet known.

“We’ll go through the standard operating procedure,” McVay said during his regular Monday news conference at Cal Lutheran, “and if everything checks out with our guys and with the doctors that are a part of that process, we’re hopeful to get those guys back for the game this week.”

Either way, the Rams should feel relieved about the way receivers Josh Reynolds and KhaDarel Hodge stepped in against Seattle. Reynolds, a second-year receiver, had only 11 catches in 2017. Hodge, an undrafted free agent who started this season on the practice squad, had never played an offensive snap.

Early in the third quarter, Reynolds gained 49 yards on three consecutive plays: catches of 22 and 14 yards, and a 10-yard run. Hodge had a sliding 14-yard catch for a first down in the fourth quarter.

The Rams, without Cooks and Kupp, totaled 128 yards in the third quarter, and they didn’t even throw the ball to their final remaining starting receiver, Robert Woods (who did have a 56-yard run).

“I was joking with Josh,” Woods said. “I was like, you came in and took two of my passes real quick. Big-time plays. I think it just shows the ability of the guys on this team, to where any number that is called, guys are going to step up and know their responsibilities and make those plays.”

The injuries certainly changed the complexion of the Rams’ offense. In the first four games, Cooks, Kupp and Woods accounted for the vast majority of the Rams’ receiving yards, catches and targets.

Against the Seahawks, Kupp had an astounding total of nine targets in the first half (for six receptions, 90 yards and a touchdown), but Cooks was blanked. His one catch – the play on which he suffered the concussion – was negated by a Seattle penalty.

In the second half, Goff directed nine passes to five different receivers and fared well, as he completed 7 of 9 for 105 yards. If the Rams are shorthanded against Denver, that might have to be the model.

SECONDARY CONCERN

The Rams’ defense allowed an alarming average of 5.9 yards per rush Sunday, but the Seahawks’ ability to strike with big pass plays drew the most attention.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson completed 13 of 21 attempts for 198 yards. That’s not a great day, but Wilson connected on four passes of at least 30 yards.

Either by design or coincidence, Rams cornerback Marcus Peters often seemed to be the victim. Peters badly got beat on two Seattle touchdowns and twice was called for holding. Peters played the entire game, but questions remain about his health, because he was only two weeks removed from a calf strain.

“This guy is mentally tough,” McVay said of Peters. “His presence helped us in a positive way, more often than not.”

The Rams continued their impressive success at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, which has been a house of horrors for many opponents over the past decade. Gurley, for instance, has won three of four games there, and multiple times during Sunday’s game, he turned to the crowd and let it be known.

“I told the fans, it’s my stadium, it’s my city,” Gurley said with a grin. “We’re taking over. That’s what the Rams are coming to do. It feels good. No better place to win than in Seattle.”

Gurley continued his low-key impressive season on Sunday, as he rushed for three touchdowns even though he finished with only 77 yards and averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. Gurley nearly had a fourth touchdown, on a pass from Jared Goff, but it was overturned by video review.

“He was getting tough yards, and they were efficient,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “He had three touchdowns? If he doesn’t have all the yards but he has three touchdowns, it’s still good with me.”

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.